Les Gold was raised around the pawn shop business as a child. Both his father and grandfather worked in the business and helped to shape how Les learned to conduct business. His father had his own store and Les followed in his footsteps and opened his first shop, American Jewelry, in 1978. He moved the shop in 1993 to where it still remains today and is the central location of the television show. His business expanded and opened a second location in 2011.

Hardcore Pawn is a show about Les’ pawn shops and all of the family and employees that help to run it. It began it’s run on truTV in August of 2010 and set a record for the channel as the most watched premiere for the station. While it’s been compared to other reality shows with the same type of stores, Hardcore Pawn tends to focus on the family and employee dynamics. As with any good reality show there are conflicts, heated arguments, and even what some would call backstabbing. It also focuses on Les’ love for the unusual and unique, and his passion for driving a bargain like no other.

With Les’ years in the business and his crazy ability to drive a hard bargain, we estimate his net worth to be $1,500,000 ($941,191 GBP).

So how much is $1.5 million dollars really?

With all of the potential junk we suspect Les sees in a day, we can only assume he needs some good quality trash cans. If he wanted to spruce up his place, he could buy 100 of the world’s most expensive trash cans. Made of steel and pressed with a gold leaf outer layer, these cans made by artist Sylvie Fleury would be quite a hit at the place.

If that doesn’t appeal to Les’ business sense, he could buy some much more economical and practical trash cans on wheels. With his money he’d be able to get 7,500 of them…

Hi Les. I live in Ireland, I watch your show every night, I wish the episodes were longer. I hope to come over to meet you and your family with my Daughter in the near future. We get a great laugh with some of the idiots that come into your fabulous store. All the best to you and your family from Ormond and my daughter Cher.

Ashley, with all the money you have, can you loose some weight and stop looking like a red sausage with deformed arms?. Seriously, i think you have an eating problem, unless the way you look is a standard in the USA.

Yes Seth is a retard and I hate the way he speaks to his sister Ashley. He is not a gentleman. Foolish to speak badly to a family member in front of staff. I would get his skinny no ass suspended for a few weeks no pay!! Les should have acted more stridently against fuck ass Seth

I am from the uk and love the show I watch every night but I cannot stand the way seth treats ashley he thinks he is so much better than her just because she left for a while to have a family. Then in tonights show les said something similar about her leaving well if she hadn’t then he wouldn’t have his grandchildren who he talks of so fondly.

Les Gold has made his money off of the less fortunate poor people of Detroit city. The way he lowballs anyone who tries to sell their items to the store is quite pathetic. He knows these poor people need cash every month just to keep their electric on or feed their kids. Someone will bring in an item that’s worth $1000 and they ask $400 for it. Les’ classic line is “what will you really take for it?”. He will then offer them $50 for it. What a lowlife. Les’ son Seth is legally retarded and looks like he has down syndrome and anytime I hear Ashley’s annoying shrill of a voice I have to hit the mute button on my converter. This is one dysfunctional low life family.

les I love your show I wanted to go and see it all myself the beautiful jewellery everything but unfortunately I have been talking to my husband and I have gotten way to sick to even think about going that far so please keep going so I can enjoy my nights
thanking you marlene

Les is rich. Why even ask the stupid question. They would make a killing with the amount of people who watch the show and the tv rights etc. I watch it but don’t take it that serious. Seems quite scripted.

I dispise Ashley. They all are disrespectful, rude and un professional and mosey as hell. And they are are rip offs. Frankly I would not visit their pawn shop. They are also bullies hiding behind huge black body guards they all are nerds. I am waiting for someone to actually punch all of them out. Yea,,,,,,what a good day that will be. Ashley is a bitch, Seth is a gay bitch, and Les is a son of a bitch

i’d like to meet them without their bodyguards sometime…punks and nasty ass opportunists who rip off poor people and then pat themselves on the back when they give the correct amount for a woman who didn’t know she had a ruby….that’s what you should do! the worst, only by a little bit, is ashley, with her uncalled for remarks she makes to customers..i just wish one was fast enough to get a good slap at her…seth thinks he’s sharper than his father, not! the whole lot are dysfunctional.

I LIKE THE SHOW BUT THE KIDS SHOW NO RESPECT FOR LES AND TELL HIM WHAT TO DO. ASHLEY IS SO CHEAP AND TRIES TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EVERYBODY. sETH IS NOT MUCH BETTER. VERY UNLIKABLE KIDS BUT STILL WATCH THE SHOW

Les Gold is awesome. I love this guy. I love Hardcore Pawn. I like the majority of the characters on this show. I especially love when inferior pieces of shit get nothing for their items or they throw out inferior pieces of shit that demand too much money for the items they bring in. I love to see pieces of shit go home with nothing after they go on a tirade demanding an outlandish amount of money for their piece of shit items. That is entertainment at its finest.

Les i love your show and others a like but i must say i get a little tired and eritated when it come to the rivery of your kids mouth and attitude they have not just towards you but customers as well omg! Ashley needs to be taught disaplin.and respect and manners really .she acts and talks so childish and acts like she’s a spolied brat.you guys really need to polish up your attitudes a bit and and your son seth always has to compete with ashley to get affection really teach them to grow the fuck up .and learn to run a respectable business.

This show is awesome. Disappointed that there not on any longer. Yes, Seth is disrespectful to his sister and Ashley is a little nasty, but,that’s the show. Why is everybody calling Seth a retard? That’s so disgusting..That’s such a horrible word. Would anybody like it if someone called their kid a retard? Think about what you say before you say it. And unfortunately, the area in which there shop is in, is obviously, a low income community. You can’t help that.

HI MR LES I,M FROM SOUTH AFRICA AND LIVE IN QUITE NEYBOURHOOD CLOSE TO CAPE TOWN 75YEARS OLD .NAME LAWRENCE HENDERSON .I ENTERTAIN OUR SENIORS BY PLAYING ON THE KEYBOARD AND SING OLD SONGS,I NEED A KEYBOARD THE CURRENTLY ONE IS FAULTY .I WILL PAY FOR THE TRANSPORT COST IF YOU CAN PROVIDE ME WITH ONE ,IN EXCHANGE I OFFER YOU FREE ACCOMMODATION SHOULD YOU WISH TO VISIT CAPE TOWN AND ALSO SHOW U OUR BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY MY ADDRESS IS ****** STREET ***** CITY OF CAPE TOWN WESTERN PROVINCE. PLEASE REPLY URGENTLY MANY THANKS DON,T LAUGH AT MY SURNAME

I am 40 years in this business, all my life long. I am from german and wonder myself, why some people wrote so much hate. This show is wonderfull and my greatest respect for this familly, the workers and spec. for Les.
This business had a social aspect, sometimes the last chance for many people. If there is no bank credits or other chance.
So let me write it in german – “respektiert diese Familie ihr Geschäft und die interessante unterhaltsame Show, seid froh das es sie und andere in dieser Branche gibt” !
Best wishes…

Great show I love it, I get the best laugh ever with all the lunatics coming in demanding money for Junk!! Wish I could get over there just to have a look around the shop, I bet there is lots of good bargains to be had. I am in England so not much chance of it.

I love watching this show but I have never in my life heard business people swear at the customers the way these people do, ASHLEY IS THE WORST OF THE THREE, she has a real foul mouth. I also watch Pawn Stars with Rick, The Old Man, Cory & Chumlee u NEVER EVER hear them swearing at their customers. God help the business when Les retires.

Hi les my name is jaco and i’m from south africa.I am currently attending a busness learnership.I want to open up a pawn shop one day,and I also want it to be a big shop like yurs,but before I open it up.I want to know if yu would teach me everything that there is to know about the pawn busness world,please write back to me.

I’ve always wondered if when out shopping for hair plugs has Seth ever ran into one of the many crackheads who have called him out from behind his safety glass and if so did he get himself a new asshole ripped? Not that you’d hear about that in the show,also wondered how much they got for the Burmese diamond they bought off that girl down on her luck, if they gave her 10k then you can bet they at least quadrupled their money, robbing fagan shower of shit.

I have just nearly choked to death laughing at some of the comments above! Ashley is a mean foul mouthed woman but no way can You say Seth is a retard!
And I do agree they rip people off .Am surprised people continue to pawn there, they have obviously never seen the show but there again, there are so many TV’s in pawn, they cant. LOL. I am from England and absolutely love the show!!!!
I know a gay man and I asked if he had Gaydar,he does and said Seth is NOT Gay!

Screw most of the replies here! First of all for the entertainment part of it all you see is the loudmouth buttheads screaming for money! I guarantee 95% of the customers get fair deals for their items and are always happy!

This is not the only pawn shop in Detroit but for sure it’s the most popular for a reason!